The
Uttar Pradesh government today held the wrong economic policies of the
Central government responsible for spiralling prices and termed the
charges of prices rising after the implementation of VAT in the state
as false.

Keeping
in view the needs of common man, the tax rates on 436 items were
reduced after the implementation of VAT on January 1, 2008, an official
spokesman of state government said, while giving the information for
the steps being taken to control price rise.

He
said the statement that price rise was due to the VAT was completely
false. In fact the increase in prices was due to the economic structure
and the economic policy of the country, having no connection with VAT.

The
main reason for price rise was the increasing inflation that reached to
12.63 per cent for the week ended August 9, the spokesman added.

The
spokesman pointed out that no changes had been made in the tax rates of
1,376 items and stock limit had been fixed for food grains, pulses, oil
seeds and edible oils.

A committee had been constituted for monitoring the price rise and uninterrupted supply of essential commodities, he added.

The
state government had been suffering losses due to the increase in the
prices on petrol and diesel by the Central government, the spokesman
said.

It might
be mentioned that the issue had come up in the Vidhan Sabha earlier in
the day with the leader of the opposition blaming implementation of VAT
for price rise.

Seventy officials punished in Aligarh: Commissioner

ALIGARH, AUG 22 (PTI)

Seventy
officials of Aligarh division have been punished following “surprise
checks” by the divisional commissioner during the past one month,
Commisioner Aligarh Division P V Jagmohan said here today.

“Similar ’surprise checks’ would continue and if any official repeats
the same offence, his services would be terminated,” Jagmohan said.

The list of those punished includes a number of district level
officers, block development officers, tehsildars and naib tehsildars,
he said.

The officers have been charged with offences varying from negligence, indiscipline and corrupt pratices, he added.

The Commissioner also announced the lauch of ‘New Aligarh township’ project on Aligarh-Delhi national hihgway.

Greater Noida farmers, UP govt arrive on agreement in land row

NEW DELHI, AUG 20 (PTI)

In
an apparent softening of stand, farmers of Ghora-Bachera in Greater
Noida today left it to the UP government to seek legal advice on ways
to provide them with the dues of land acquired from them in 2006.

On
August 13, villagers had clashed with the police, seeking enhanced
compensation for land acquired from them by the state government,
leaving four dead in police firing.

After
the meeting, Cabinet Secretary told reporters that the farmers have
agreed to leave it to the state government to find legal ways to get
them their dues.

He explained that once the compensation is given, no further compensation could be provided for the same land.

“However,
we will take legal advice and look into demands made by the farmers for
more compensation earlier. If there are provisions to give more
compensation it will be handed over to the farmers,” he said.

The
Samiti also submitted their charter of demands to the representatives
of the state government. The demand included withdrawal of police
cases, more compensation to those killed and repair of damaged property
during the clash.

The
state government said no further police action will be taken against
the farmers and also announced to increase the compensation to Rs 10
lakhs each to next of those killed in the police firing.

The
government also agreed to provide a plot to erect statues of the
farmers killed in the clash. It also agreed to bear the entire medical
expenditure of those critically injured in the August 13 incident.

BSP to release candidates list for assembly polls in Rajasthan

JAIPUR, AUG 18 (PTI)

The
Bahujan Samaj Party would release a list of candidates for 150 seats on
August 25 for the coming assembly polls due later this year in
Rajasthan, a senior leader of the party said.

The
names for the remaining 50 seats would be declared later on after
consultation with the senior partymen and reviewing the political
situation, Dharmasingh Ashok, BSP national general secretary and
incharge of Rajasthan affairs, told a press conference here.

Neither
former external affairs minister Natwar Singh, nor his son Jagat Singh,
who recently joined the party, would contest the polls on BSP tickets,
Ashok categorically said, adding “wait for some more surprises during
the polls.”

“Next
government in Rajasthan would be of BSP, and the chief ministerial
candidate would only be decided by party supremo Mayawati,” he claimed.

BSP
would launch a nationwide “janhit chetna andolan” in view of assembly
polls in four states including Rajasthan and the next year’s Lok Sabha
polls, with Mayawati attending some of the important rallies, he said.